Bewitched
by Sunappu
Summary: Edward is a supernatural being only able to sustain himself with the hearts of people who love him. He knows he shouldn't fall in love, but he also knows he's very selfish. Having a steady relationship and having to collect others' hearts on the side should be manageable, right?
1. Chapter 1

Edward held the red heart shaped stone firmly in his hands in front of Winry's chest as it admitted a dim glow. His hands were shaking, weak with hunger only a human heart could satisfy. It made him sick, his entire being, what he was… but he was desperate this time. If he waited, he could be dead in the next 24 hours. His dull yellow eyes watched as the stone pulled out her heart without needing an incision. The dim glow grew brighter as the heart contained in the orb of light surfaced out of her chest. For a minute, he paused, staring at Winry's peaceful face. She looked so serene in the red glow given the circumstances, and Edward hated himself. He hated everything he did, but he needed to do it to survive.

"I… I'm sorry, Win." Ed choked out quietly. "I waited too long, and you were the only…" His voice gave out as he held back his tears. The only thing left to do was to finish what he started. It'd be pointless to change his mind now. She already passed on. With his free hand, he reached out to the orb that safely held Winry's heart and slowly pushed it to his chest. The light faded as the orb effortlessly slipped inside his chest. He could feel his strength returning, his thoughts becoming more clear as he stared down at Winry's lifeless face, realizing just exactly what he did. A drop of water fell onto her face. Was it raining? Edward looked up, realizing he was in Winry's bedroom. He was crying. There was no point in holding back now. His body trembled as he let the tears flow freely, his hands gripping tightly at the sheets on either side of Winry's body.

The process wasn't usually this emotional, but… Everyone else was easy to capture and take from with no emotional bond, but Winry was different. Edward had loved her back. When he first said the three little words to her, they weren't meaningless like they were with everyone else. He meant them. His words weren't meant for the purpose of surviving. They were for the purpose of which they stood.

His tears slowly came to stop, leaving him to just stare at Winry's face as silence enveloped him. He hated how peaceful she looked. He hated that he had to do this to her. He hated what he was and how selfish it was…

"I love you, Winry…" Ed muttered, releasing the death grip he had on the sheets and slowly reached his hand out to touch the side of her face. It was still warm, but slowly losing warmth. "...I'm sorry." His hand traveled up, moving her blonde bangs away before he leaned down and pressed his lips gently against her forehead. "I really did love you…"

* * *

><p>Officer Maes Hughes stared down at the body of the young girl. She was too young to have slipped on into the afterlife by herself, but there was nothing around that could have killed her. There were no marks, scars, or bruises on her body. From the information he received from the girl's grandmother, she had no medical problems. She was a perfectly happy and healthy young lady. Reasonable and possible causes of death were slowly slipping through his mind and becoming slim. They'd have to get an autopsy on her body. It'd be the only way to find out.<p>

"Do you think…" Jean Havoc's voice started beside him. Hughes turned his eyes away from the body to look at his partner. "Ehh… Nevermind." he dismissed with a wave of his hand.

"What were you going to say?" Hughes prompted. "My mind's at a blank."

There was a slight moment of hesitation before Havoc spoke again.

"I was just thinking… You know the rumor about the girl whose body was found at a camping ground? And during her autopsy they discovered that her heart was missing without as much as a scratch on her skin."

"Do you really believe something like that is true?" Hughes questioned the other officer. "How would that even be possible? There's no way."

Havoc nodded his head. "I know. Just remembered it."

There was a moment of silence as the officers' eyes did a final scan of the scene, looking for something they may have missed. Nothing new was found. The body was clean of any injuries that they could see, no blood was visible… It wasn't a murder. Maybe suicide? Overdosing? The girl's grandmother, through tears, told him that she would never do such a thing. He wanted to believe the elderly lady, but…

"We'll have to just get an autopsy on her body." Hughes spoke up quietly.

He hated this part of the job. It was always the hardest. He set his hand gently on Havoc's shoulder and lead them out of the room and down the stairs to where the girl's grandmother was waiting. Her eyes were dull, head resting in her hand as she sat at the dining room table staring out the window. She turned to look as she heard the officers' approaching.

"There's nothing we can find that would have killed her." Hughes told the elderly woman solemnly. "For now, we'll just assume it's suicide-"

"Don't you dare tell me that my Winry killed herself! She would never do such a thing!" Her hand slammed on the table, hours of keeping herself composed came undone as tears leaked from her eyes. Neither of the officers knew what to do.

"I'm sorry, ma'am." Hughes practically whispered. He turned to Havoc. "Go contact the hospital for transportation for the body."

Jean Havoc nodded and stepped outside without a word, leaving Maes to try and comfort the small, frail old woman. Gently and slowly, not to disturb her, he rested his hand on her shoulder as she wept quietly into a handkerchief.

"She was…" The elderly lady choked out between sobs, pausing to sniffle her nose. "...She was studying to become to doctor. Like her parents, and… now…"

All Hughes could offer her was a sympathetic rub on her back as she continued to cry. He could feel her small frame trembling beneath him with each choked out noise she tried to hold in.

"She even had a boyfriend… Edward… Such a nice boy, he was... I'll have to tell him that… Winry's…."

"Shhhh." Maes whispered. "You don't need to think right now."

The grandmother's sobs. after a while, turned into quiet sniffles as Hughes continued to rub her back consolingly until the medical team arrived to take away the body of Winry Rockbell.

* * *

><p>AN: This was just something inspired by a band I (regretfully) listened to in middle school. I came across one of their music videos, Bewitched by Blood on the Dance Floor, and listened to it for nostalgic reasons, but ended up getting an idea for what I think would make an interesting story. I'm not completely sure how to continue this, or if I will, but if this gets enough attention, I'll work something out.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I've put thought into this, discussed this with my friend whom I share this account with, and decided that this story is going to include the ship RoyEd. I'm sorry to anyone who came here expecting something else, but I did make it clear in the beginning I had no idea what direction this was going to take. I hope you still enjoy it, for I have a lot more planned with it now and am excited to see exactly where these new ideas take the story.

* * *

><p>Edward had to leave. There was no way he could bare to be in this small, little town any longer. It pained him mercilessly. Every sight reminded him of Winry. The smells reminded him of Winry. Even the people reminded him of Winry. It was too much to bare, knowing that he had been the one responsible for the death of the most loved and known girl in that town. She was supposed to succeed her parents' dreams in the medical field and save thousands of lives. Winry was capable of that, but in the midst of it all…<p>

"Are you alright Ed?" Pinako whispered as she gently elbowed him and looked up at him. He looked down into her saddened eyes, unable to help the overwhelming guilt building in his gut.

_I killed Winry. I am responsible for your tears. I was just too selfish… _

"I… I guess…" Edward murmured before glancing back to the casket. He couldn't make eye contact with her. Her hand gently grabbed his.

"She really loved you."

_I didn't deserve that love._

"You were all she would talk about, besides how college was going when she visited every weekend."

The funereal progressed slowly, and Edward wanted badly to escape, haunted by what he's done. He'll never be able to forget what he did to the one person who managed to catch him off guard. She slipped past the barrier he built for himself. Love wasn't something he truly understood. It was his life source, and yet he never really felt it until Winry. He wasn't meant to love. He knew that from the start, and yet Winry had caught him and pulled him in, and he didn't resist.

It was selfish.

Ed watched as they lowered the casket into the ground and felt Pinako's hand squeezing tightly on his. That would be the last anyone will ever see of her. And it was because he was too much of a coward to accept death for himself. Truly, he was a pathetic being.

People started to leave and he wanted to follow them, but he couldn't leave Pinako just yet. Not just because of the death grip she had on his hand. She just looked so lost as tears absently slipped from her eyes and she sniffled.

"Come visit once in a while, alright? Don't be a stranger."

"...Okay."

"Granny?" A voice spoke up behind them and Pinako sobbed harder as she let go of Ed's hand and turned around to give the other person a hug.

"Oh, Alphonse…"

Ed glanced behind him and locked eyes with the boy that held onto Pinako. Neither of them said anything.

"So you're Edward?" Alphonse spoke up gently. "I've heard a lot about you, from Winry…" The look he had on his face after saying her name made Ed want to disappear.

"Yeah, so you're Al. She talked about you a lot too."

He couldn't do this. There was too much guilt. His hands trembled in fists at his sides and he bit hard at the inside of his cheeks. Alphonse was speaking again, but Ed couldn't focus on the words. Tears were blurring his vision and it took every ounce of self control he had not to let them spill.

"I've gotta go…" His voice came out whiny and high pitched, but he didn't care. He turned, quickly walking away. There wasn't a particular place he had in mind to go to. It wasn't like he had a home, but anywhere. Anywhere but here seemed like a good place to be.

Edward hastily walked with no destination into the busy, hustling city. His teary eyes stayed glued to the sidewalk. He couldn't dare look up. Everything in this city would remind him of Winry, from the gift shops meant for tourists, to the movie theater, to the restaurants and even the library. He couldn't risk remembering those memories now. He just couldn't… but, what else could he think of? She plagued his mind like an illness. He needed to forget.

Ed bumped into something- someone's back.

"Whoa, hey! Careful!"

He looked up at the man and- When had it started raining?

"Are you alright? You look like you're about to-"

"I'm sorry… I'm selfish, and I shouldn't have done that. She deserved so much better. Why she picked me, I have no clue. I'm nothing special and all I ever do is hurt people…"

Why was he gushing out to a stranger? Edward just stopped caring. He stopped holding back his tears. They slipped from his eyes and trickled down his cheeks copiously as he trembled and shook with every being in his body. He almost felt sorry for the stranger, for putting him in such an awkward situation.

"H-hey! Don't, uh… Oh, jeez. People are staring. Come on."

The stranger grabbed his wrist, and Ed let him drag him. He didn't care anymore. If this guy was going to do something to him, he didn't care. He'd deserve it. After what he did, he really, really did not care. He didn't even care to look and see where he was being taken. His eyes stayed locked on the sidewalk, blurry from the excess water slipping from his eyes. They were going at a pretty fast pace, almost a jog, but then they stopped. Edward didn't even care to look up and see where he was, but he was guided through a door.

It was then, in the warmth of a heated place, that Ed realized how cold he was, and that his teeth were clattering, adding to the noise of his sniffles. He was a complete mess.

A hand was placed on his back, ushering him forward, and all he bothered to look at was the cracked wooden floorboards that creaked with every step. A stool came into his line of vision and the stranger helped him sit on it. He finally looked up and noticed his surroundings. A bar.

"Are you okay?"

Edward looked to his right, where the stranger sat. He had dark hair, probably black, but could also be a dark brown. It was hard to tell in the dim lighting. His eyes were dark and narrow, and over all he had a pretty attractive face. Ed scoffed at the thought and turned back to look down at the marbled countertop.

"I just want to forget everything…"

A glass was placed in front of him with a clink, filled with an amber liquid. He eyed it for a minute, realizing it was alcohol.

"Hey, I'm only eighteen. I can't drink…" Edward spoke up as he wiped his damp sleeve over his eyes. It didn't help much in drying his tears, more just smeared them across his skin.

"Don't worry about it. No one pays attention to that here."

Ed reached out a cautious hand, wrapped his fingers around the cup, and raised it to his lips for a swig. His eyes widened as he felt his throat burn, encouraging him to cough and set the drink down.

"What the hell is this?" He shot a glare at the stranger, watching him sip down the same beverage with ease.

"Whiskey. Don't like it?"

"No. Who the hell would?"

"People who want to get drunk faster. To forget…"

Edward turned back and picked up the glass again, eyeing the amber liquid for a moment or two before trying a smaller sip. It still burned his throat, but at least he didn't feel the need to cough that time. He cringed. The taste was just awful.

"What's your name?" The stranger mumbled before taking a drink of his own glass.

"Edward. You?"

"Roy. I'm twenty-one."

"I didn't ask your age."

"Well, I thought it'd be fair to tell you. Since you told me your age."

"Makes sense…"

A silence hung between them as they took sips of their whiskey every once in a while. Ed still cringed every time the putrid liquid touched his tongue, but it was making him feel warm and his stomach fuzzy. Out of all the people he could have bumped into and broke down in front of, he was glad it was Roy. Roy wasn't pestering him about it. It was almost as if it never happened and they were just two strangers drinking together. He felt lightheaded by the time the glass was finished, tipsy.

"Have you ever drank before?" Roy asked.

"Like I said. I'm eighteen."

"You parents never let you try even sip of alcohol as a teen?"

Ed bit his tongue. The alcohol was taking effect, making him not think straight, and almost made him blurt out something that needed to stay a secret. He'd just use the same answer he gave to everyone when asked about his parents.

"...No. My mom passed away when I was young. My father was never really around, so… practically raised myself."

There was a pause as Roy motioned for the bartender to fill up both of their glasses again. Roy took a sip before he spoke.

"My parents died in a car crash when I was still an infant. My aunt took me in, not knowing a thing about how to take care of children, but… I think she did a good job."

"She seems to have missed out on one thing, though…"

"What's that?" Roy eyed him suspiciously, waiting as Ed took a drink.

"Hasn't she ever told you not to talk to strangers?" Ed smirked, and Roy rolled his eyes with a snort. "Let alone buy them drinks when they're under the drinking age."

"Shut it." The words would have been harsh if it weren't for the smile on Roy's lips.

"I'm just sayin'..."

"You really looked like you needed a few. Are you alright?"

Roy didn't ask what had happened, and Edward was thankful for that.

"I will be… with time. I'll move on, and now I know to never do that again. It was really stupid of me for thinking it could work out…"

"Break up?" That was the only question Roy asked that pryed.

"Something like that…" Ed frowned as he stared down into his alcoholic beverage.

"Hey… um, don't get weirded out when I suggest this, but… You're still really tense, even after drinking enough where you should be drunk, so…"

Edward glanced over and watched as Roy swirled the few gulps he had left around in his glass.

"There's a motel nearby. I wouldn't mind if you'd like to take it out on me…"

"You mean like a one night stand?" Ed put bluntly before taking a drink.

"Yeah…"

"I'm not gay."

Their eyes locked and Roy's face flushed a hue of pink. Ed couldn't help but to laugh at the sight.

"Sorry. I should have kept my mouth shut." Roy turned away and took a drink.

"It's fine. Though you are pretty attractive, like, your eyes. They're just… attractive."

"You're drunk."

"I am drunk and it's because you wanted to fuck me, isn't it?"

"No. I only offered because you're still tense. And it'd probably help, momentarily at least..."

Edward laughed again and shook his head. He stopped caring. Stopped caring about everything. He didn't care about his life anymore. He didn't care about the body he was in. He didn't care about himself, even, and everything he had learned and his morals and preferences… It didn't matter to him anymore, and he let it all out in laughter. Nothing in this world mattered, so why should he care.

"Well, I don't care. We should go to that motel." Ed elbowed Roy gently.

"Why?"

"To fuck."

"But you just said-"

"That's okay. I said I don't care anymore."

Roy finished what was left in his glass with a gulp and set it on the countertop with a clink before turning to Edward.

"You're hardly making sense. You are wasted." Roy chuckled. "I'll finish that up for you. You really don't need anymore."

"How come you're not, like, affected by it? You drank as much as me!" Edward allowed the small amount left in his glass to be gulped down by Roy.

"Because your body's smaller."

"I'm not short! I'm like, still growing! I think…?"

Roy rolled his eyes playfully as he pulled his wallet out and left a few crumpled dollars on the counter before he turned to Ed as he slid his wallet back into his back pocket.

"Come on."

They stumbled to the motel, Edward having to lean on Roy for support with his clumsy feet. It was a ten minute walk, two blocks, from the bar, but it took them a solid twenty with Ed tripping on every unlevel surface they encountered underneath their feet. Roy had to help Ed sit in a chair in the lobby as he went to pay for their room.

Everything was spinning. Nothing could stay still. It was making Edward feel nauseous enough to throw up, but he held it in. He had concentrate on it. He wasn't going to puke. Nothing was going to come out of his mouth. It was all going to stay in his stomach. He watched as Roy walked toward him, dangling the key between his thumb and forefinger with a soft smirk on his face, and let his guard down.

And there went everything in his stomach, onto the abstractly designed carpet.


	3. Chapter 3

Maes Hughes glanced up from gazing at the toe of his boot as he heard approaching footsteps hollowly echoing through the hallway and smiled at the approaching figure.

"It's been a while, Roy Mustang." Hughes greeted, pushing himself from the wall. "Thought that your break was going to turn into permanent leave."

Roy's eyes were dull, hair a mess and his uniform was hastily put on. Maes' smile fell from his face.

"Hangover?" He guessed and Roy slowly started to shake his head, but then paused and gave a curt nod.

"Partly." Mustang admitted. " But I've had worse."

"What's the other part?" Hughes prompted curiously, tilting his head slightly to the side. "Wasn't a breakup, was it?"

"Not exactly. It was more of a 'you're in obvious need of a drink so I'll buy, but the alcohol isn't really helping so I'll offer a one night stand but before we could even set foot into the motel room you just vomit everywhere, apologize profusely, and pass out, and I wake up to find that you're gone' kinda thing."

Maes nodded slowly, rubbing the stubble on his chin in thought. A smirk made it's way onto his face as he gazed into Roy's eyes.

"You really liked her? What's her name?"

Roy frowned and hesitated a moment before answering.

"...Edward."

"Well that's a pretty na- Wait a minute. Edward is a guys name." Maes' smirk grew. "You fell for a guy? And you're trying to tell me that you're bisexual." He laughed lightly and swung an arm around Mustang's shoulders. "Just admit you're gay. No big deal!"

"Hughes…" Roy sighed heavily and shrugged away his friend's arm. "You know I had a thing for Hawkeye, and she flat out rejected me, but my sexuality doesn't matter. It really is no big deal."

"Sorry, sorry… So Edward? You wanna talk about him?"

Roy gave him this look, and Hughes instantly changed the subject.

"There was this case Havoc and I were assigned." It was a wonder how fast Maes had managed to change from playful to serious. "This young girl died without a single clue as to how. There were no marks on her body, and her grandmother said she was a perfectly happy young lady with no mental illness." Hughes paused, prompting his friend to ask for the next part with a look.

"So what happened?" Roy asked, slightly annoyed.

"They're saying an overdose after doing the autopsy. I read her files."

"And?" Mustang sighed out after Hughes second dramatic pause.

"There was not a trace of any drug in her system."

Roy blinked.

"Then what was it?"

Maes' voice dropped to a whisper, "Her heart is missing, but there are no scars on her body."

"Bullshit." Roy shook his head and started to walk down the hall. He had paperwork to return to, but Hughes stopped him by grabbing his shoulder.

"I'm completely serious, Roy! They filed the papers and locked them up by now, but I know what I saw!"

Mustang turned his head, looking directly into Hughes' intense gaze. He knew that look. There was no way Maes would give that look if he was trying to play some sort of 'welcome back' joke. He sighed again softly.

"And what are we going to do about it?"

"We're going to find whatever did this through our own private investigation. And you're going to lead it."

* * *

><p>Edward's head ached painfully inside his skull. The bright sun shining in through the window and the loud engine of the train was not helping one bit to dull the ache. He closed his eyes tightly, resting his head against the window. Maybe he could try to nap it off until they arrived.<p>

He had been lucky the train station was slow, allowing him to get a ticket for the next train headed south. Though it had costed him the rest of his savings. He'd need to figure out what to do for money as soon as the train stopped and he reached his destination. The few crumpled single dollar bills he'd stole from Roy's wallet before he left was all that filled his pockets. He felt bad about it. Roy didn't deserve to be stolen from after the acts of kindness he displayed toward Ed. Not to mention the money that had been spent on him for drinks and the motel room.

Besides money, he'd also need to think of his next heart. The cruel flaw of his being… It wasn't fair having to seduce someone and killing them for his survival. His whole life, eighteen years, filled with emptiness and loneliness, knowing he could never get attached to someone. He'd just end up hurting himself, and in the end, he disobeyed the rules he had set for himself. And it did hurt. A lot. More than he could have imagined. Love was powerful.

He managed a short nap and woke up with a kink in his neck from the awkward angle as he arrived in a southern town. Edward had no idea where he was going. He never did, but he knew he had to keep moving. He couldn't stay in the same place for too long. Things would just get complicated. The town was huge, bustling with people walking the streets despite the late hour. He needed to plan for the duration of his stay. First thing, money. It depended on the area in which he arrived, how he could get that money. Small country towns, he'd find a farm and offer help, big cities… well, it wasn't like there any farms. He tended to avoid huge cities much like this one, but he needed to get as far away from Resembool, from the memories as possible, and this was as far as his money would allow him to travel. For work here, considering the hour, he'd have to do something he really didn't want to do.

Edward wandered into some cheap restaurant, making a beeline for the bathrooms and looked at himself in the mirror. His hair was an absolute mess, his clothes were rumpled and stained, and he really regretted not using the motel's shower while he had the chance. He removed his clothes, setting them on top of the closed toilet seat and let his braid loose. Long blond strands fell onto his bare shoulders as he looked in the mirror at his bare torso. His heart dropped at the realization that his necklace was missing from around his neck. Panicking, he searched thoroughly through his pile of clothes, but couldn't find the pendent anywhere. His heart was racing. He needed that necklace to live. Without out it, he'd slowly grow weak, no longer able to extract the hearts his being so desperately needed to survive. Where was it? Where did he leave it? He racked his brain for answers, retracing his steps. Then, he came to a conclusion.

Roy had it. He needed to get back to Resembool as soon as he had the money.

He turned the hot water on in the sink and rinsed his hair, using the hand soap to wash it. Soapy paper towels were what he used to wash his body. After cleaning himself up, he grabbed his clothes and washed out the stains as best as he could, then used the hand dryer to get rid of the wet spots on his clothes and dry his hair as he ran his fingers through the tresses before braiding it again.

This really was not something he enjoyed, in fact, he regretted it every time. He felt so filthy afterwards, no matter how many times he showered he could never erase the feeling of someone's hands touching his body, or their hot breath whispering lewd things against the shell of his ear. And he could never get rid of the awful taste in his mouth no matter how many times he brushed his teeth. It was wrong, so so so wrong. He hated every second of it. He wished there was another way. But at least he got money, and a good amount. Many people were willing to pay so much for just ten or fifteen minutes, desperately in need for some sexual favor.

He walked away from the secluded alley with two hundred dollars, desperately trying to forget the things he was whispered, the way he was touched, and what he had done. His eyes were dull, hair once again a mess and clothes wrinkled. The sour smell filled his nose, the one that clung to him every time. Edward needed to ignore it. He needed to get back to Resembool. He ran as fast as he could to the train station, but it was too late. The last train that night had just left five minutes ago and he'd have to wait until morning.

Edward could sleep, lying in the cheap hotel bed after a cold shower that washed away the stench, but not what had been done. His hand reached for the heart shaped stone that wasn't hanging around his neck, and he felt pathetic, powerless, and weak. What if Roy didn't have it? What if it was stolen on the train while he dozed off? What if the chain snapped a while ago and it was lying around somewhere? He couldn't silence his thoughts, and it felt like an eternity of tossing and turning in the sheets before the sun rose and light pooled in slowly from the window. Ed got up instantly, tugging his shoes on and went to check out of the hotel before running once again to the train station. He boarded the next one for Resembool, anxious to find whether or not his assumption was true.


End file.
